3 things will cost Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth millions on his future contract

2. Freiermuth's injury history continues to grow

Pat Freiermuth dealt with some bumps and bruises during his college career at Penn State, and a shoulder injury resulted in him playing in just 4 games during his junior season in 2021 prior to entering the NFL Draft. Early in his career, the Steelers tight end has not been able to avoid the injury bug.

During his rookie season in 2021, Freiermuth sustained concussions on two separate occasions -- one in November and the other just three weeks later in December. In his second season in 2022, Freiermuth missed practice time with a Grade 1 hamstring pull. In the final game of the season last year, he suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his right knee.

Fans were hoping to see a healthy Freiermuth finally in 2023, but that has been anything but the case. So far, the young tight end has dealt with a bruised sternum that he suffered in the Week 1 loss to the 49ers and now is confirmed to have a Grade 2 hamstring pull that will cause him to miss some time.

The collection of these injuries will scare the Steelers (and other teams as well) from handing out large sums of guaranteed money to him on a future contract extension. It's hard to trust him to stay on the field and healthy for more than a few games at a time, and his inability to do so will cost him money on his new future deal.